Improvement in car-bumper attachmentg



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

JOHN P. LAIRD, OF ALTooNA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENTIN CAR-BUMPER. ATTACHMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,248, dated February7, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN P. LAIRD, of Altoona, Blair county,Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Railway-(Mrs and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

M yinvention relates to improvements in the guides for the bumper andbumper-plates of railway-cars; and it consists in so embedding the saidguides in packing-blocks of wood that they can be made much lighter andless expensive than ordinary guides, and at the same time are morecapable of resisting the violent strains and shocks to which they aresubjected.

Myinvention further consists of the stopping-block described hereinafterfor limiting and regulating the limit of the bumperplates to suitdifferent styles of springs.v

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will now proceed to describe the manner of constructin gthe same.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, Figure 1 is a view of sufficient of a railway-car toillustrate my improvements; Fig. 2, a sectional view; Fig. 3, an endview; Fig. 4, a vertical section, on the line 1 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 5, asection of the stopping-blocks, and Fig. 6 a diagram illustrating theadvantages of my invention.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A represents a portion of the end or bumpor beam, and B part of aplatform of a railway-car, D D being two beams secured to thebumper-beam forming part of the car-frame and arranged at a suitabledistance apartfrom each other. To the under side of each of the beams D,as well as to the bumper-beam A, is secured a packing-block, E, of wood,and into each of these blocks is let the projecting portion of theguideplate F, the flanges a of which fit against the under side of thesaid packing-block. Beneath the guide-plate is a plate, G, lips on theends of which overlap the ends of the said guide-plate. Bolts b b bl)serve to bind the two plates G and F and the block E to the frame of thecar. Two openings, H, are thus formed, one by the plates G and F,secured to one of the beams D, and the other by similar platessecured tothe other beam D, and into these openings the ends of the plates I and Jso fit as to slide to and fro freely. These plates 1 and J, the bumperK, pin L, and link on, as well as the spring or springs, may be of theusual construction, the manner in which they operate being too wellknown to railway-engineers to need description. A stopping-block, M, thetransverse section of which presents an oblong figure, (Fig. 5,) extendsvertically across each of the openings H, and one of the bolts 1) passesthrough each block, the object of which is to limit the rearwardmovement of the plate I, and consequently that of the bumper K.

"It is important that means should be afforded of limiting the movementof the plates I and J and of regulating the extent of this movement tosuit different styles of springs. This can be done by the blocks M,which, after loosening the nuts of the bolts which pass through them,can be turned so as to occupy more or less of the openings H.

The bumper passes through and is guided by an opening formed by thestirrup N and stay-bar P, the stirrup being constructed and adapted tothe frame of the car in the peculiar manner best observed on referenceto Fig. 3. A portion of this stirrup islet into the under side of thebumper-beam A at as, and fits snugly between the blocks E E, the ends ofwhich are flush with the face of the bumper-beam. The flanges h of thestirrup fit, one against the under side of one of these beams E, and theother against the under side of the other beam, and against the underside of these flanges bears the straight portion of the stay-bar P,which is secured to the under side of the bumper-beam by bolts 1, andbolts to serve to secure the stay-bar P, stirrup N, and blocks E to thebumper-beam.

lt is well known that the guides for the bumpers, as well as those forthe plates I and J in railway-cars are subjected to the most violentstrains and shocks, and that, in order to resist these, massive andstrong guides of cast-iron or heavy and costly wrought-iron have beenheretofore used.

The diagram, Fig. 6, will serve to illustrate the ordinary mode ofmaking and securing these guides and to show the advantages of myimprovement. The plate G fits directly against the under side of each ofthe beams D, and the guide-plate H is fitted to the plate F, and thewhole secured by suitable bolts. In this case the whole of theguide-plate H is exposed and liable to fracture from sudden strains orshocks. It is consequently neces sary to make it very massive andexpensive.

In my improvement the guideplate is so embedded in the timber'block Ethat it can be made very light, the strains and shocks being resistedpartly by the plate itself and partly by the timber. By thisjudiciouscombi nation of the two materials both additional strength and securityis obtained and expense in construction reduced. The same remarks willapply to the stirrup, which, as ordinarily arranged, is exposed, butwhich, as seen in Fig. 3, is embraced by the beams E E and confinedbetween the bumper-beam A and tie-bar P.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. Theguide-plate, F, embedded in the wooden blocks E E, and secured to thebeams of the car, all substantially as and for the purpose herein setforth.

2. The stirrup N, confined between the beams E E, and secured to thebumper-beam, substantially as specified.

3. The adjustable stopping-blocks M, adapted to the plates F and G andtoa bolt, 1), which passes through the same, all substantially as setforth, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification inv thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN P. LAIRD.

Witnesses HENRY How'roN, JOHN WHITE.

